Insulation stripper



B. w. AMES 2,225,200 INSULATIQNV'STRIPPER Filed Feb. 10Q 1937 lull Il l l 111191" .IIIHI' INVENTOR. /A M AMES .B/LLY Vif/1.1.

BY vf mw? 1"/ ATTORNEY atented Dec. 17, 1940 Pa're1\l'r i OFFICE INSULATION s'rmrrna Billy William Ames,

San Francisco, Calif.

Application February 10, 1937, Serial No. 125,078

2 Claims.

'This invention relates to a device for the stripping of insulation from wires and the like and particularly to such a device which, although capable of the requisite adjustments, is small and compactl and therefore portable. l

The comparatively simple operation of stripping insulation lhas longbeen regarded as a hand operation and as such has consumed many valuable hours of skilled workmens time. To remove insulation with a scraper is a slow, tedious operation which can better be visualized when, for example, a motor Winder has to prepare a 60. horse power 900 R. P. M. induction motor. This job entails the preparation of a total of 240 end connections from its 120 coils. Heretofore it has required from four to six hours to scrape the leads clean enough to be soldered depending upon whether the conductors are single, or two or more in parallel.

The effort to make this hand operation a machine operation has been the object of study in the past few years and has resulted in the production of large cumbersome, expensive machines which through structural requirements demand that the work be brought to the machine rather than takingthe machine to the work. These' structural limitations'have greatly retarded the practical and advantageous use of such machines in al1 except the most .specialized large scale production shops and has entirely left untouched the jobs which could not be brought to the machine or the smaller machine and repair shops wherel it is practically an essential that a machine of this character perform the double function of both portable and stationary operation.

It is an object of the present invention to produce a device which will accomplish each of the desirable results mentioned above and which will rapidly and efficiently remove cotton and enamel insulation of varying sizes, either square or round in section.

Such a device would be of value not only in factories where motors are made but also, among other places, where all types of coils are manufactured, in electric service shops where repair work is done and particularly in radio and telephone work.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, economy and ease of assembly and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and as are inherently possessed thereby.

'I'he invention further resides in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying single sheet of drawings, and while there is shown therein a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the same is capable of modification and change and comprehends other details and constructions without departing from the spirit or the scope of the present invention. Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing: 1

Figure 1 is 'a front elevation of the complete device with the gear box and drive shown in section.

Figure 2 is an end elevation with the brush cover-guard and waste box both shown in section taken on the line II-II of FigureA l.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line III-III of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the completely assembled device is shown in elevational view in' Figure l. The entire device is mounted on a base l0 provided with lugs Il by `means of which the device may be secured in position by screws or bolts i2 or clamps (not shown). The base part l0 supports the motive power for driving the insulation stripper, it being understood that anykind of motive power is acceptable. The motive power in the drawing is shown as an electric motor i3 which for most purposes is the most satisfactory source of power. The base I0 is provided with an arm Il upon which the gear box housing I5 and i6 of the device rests and to which it is secured by any suitable means here shown as machine screws The'motor I3, by means of coupling lafdrives shaft 20 directly and in line. Shaft 20 passes through the gear box housing l5 and its cover portion I6 and is supported therein'by concentric bosses 2l and 22 with suitable bearings. The sleeve bearings v23 here shown are provided for smooth even operation. At the opposite end of the shaft 20 there is a wire brush 24 with a solid center hub and mounted with a suitable thrust washer to take up any end-play. In order to provide another brush 25 rotating in the opposite direction from that of 24 in the same plane a chain of bevel gears is arranged. On the interior of the gear box housing there is mounted on the shaft 20 a bevel gear 26 which drives pinion 21 and rotates stub shaft 28. Stub shaft 28 is journaled in bearing supports 30 and 3| which are secured in any suitable Imanner at the gear box housing i6. Mounted on stub shaft 28 and rotated by it is pinion 32 driving gear 33 and rotating shaft u which shaft is mounted in bearing block 35 with sleeve bearing 36 or other suitable bearing. It is obvious that` the shaft 34 is parallel to and in the same vertical axial plane as shaft 20. The wire brush 2l is mounted in a similar manner to brush 24 and by means of x the'gear train herein disclosed rotates in an opposite direction.

In order that adjustment may be made to acooxnmodate the wear of the wire brushes 2l and 2i and also to accommodate varying sizes of wires and varying thicknesses of insulation one 1 of the shafts is made adjustable with respect' to the other. In the` present `embodiment of the inventlon the upper shaft is theone which has been made adjustable.` In order to accomplish this the pinion 32 is provided with a key which rides in a key wayin shaft ZI and is adapted for slidable movement` vertically on shaft `2l within the, limits of the key way. The pinion 32 is also provided with a slot I1 in its hub in which rides the fori:` of an :angle bracket 3l which` is rigidly mounted on the bearing block 35 and is raised or lowered in accordancewith the positioningoi the bearing block. It will further befseen that the angle bracket Il bears at all times and in all positions on the interior surface of the gear box housing cover i6. The vertical `adjustment is regulated and maintained bythe screw 40, one end of which is free to rotate within. the bearing block 35 but otherwise is securely held thereto, which passes throughs threaded eye M against which thethreads of the screw ll operate to raise or lower the bearing block 3l. A suitable handle I2 isplaced thereon to make the manualadjustment easy. To accommodate the maximum and minimum vertical adjustment of theshaftl 34a suitable aperture 43 is provided in the gear box housing cover I in which the `bearing block I5 40 moves and is supported. It is obvious fromithis discussionthat the sliding pinion 32 is always in perfect mesh with the bevel gear 33 mounted on shaft 34. When the gear box housing is assembled the same becomes `an oil tight casing for 45 positive lubrication.

To cover the `rotating wire brushes there is likewise provided a cover-guard u which for convenience should` be the same size and shapetas thegear box housing and attached thereto in any suitable manner and when so attached all of the rotating parts are completely covered and guarded although easily accessible. The coverguard is provided at the front with an aperture I5 for the accommodation of the insulated wires` and on the opposite side'with a larger aperture 46 for discharge of the stripped wire and the discharge of the insulation which has been removed in operation. There is a suitable box 50 to receive the `waste 60 insulation which has been removed, which is held adjacent the outlet 46. On the opposite side of the box 50 there is anaperture 52 so that the stripped and cleaned `wire may passA entirely through. Over theaperture 52 there is a screen 05 53 suitably hinged to the boxat 5I so that when stripped and cleaned wire is not passing through the full length of the box, ventilation l's preserved is clear from the description. However. it should be noted that the brushes. and 2l turn in the opposite direction and when viewed as in Figure 2 brush 2| operates clockwise and brush 2B operatea counter-clockwise. As the insulation wire 56 is passed in through the` aperture 4i the brushes in there scrapethe wire entirely strip and clean and the insulation or stripped material is driven o! in a path similar to that of the cleaned wire Il and passes through the aperture and into the box Il throughaperture EL Also in theoperation of the present device, the gears are constantly in a bath of oil 58` so that positive lubrication is supplied to all of the moving pms at au ames. i y 2 l.y A portable unitary insulation stripping machine comprising, in combination, a base member, a motor, a housing, a pair of rotatable brushes adapted to tangentially Vengage insulated wire there between to strip the same, a shaft journaled in said housing carrying `one of said brushes and directly connected to `said motor, a second stub shaft with a y.floating iournalparallel thereto carrying the other of said brushes andV adjustable `with respect to` said nrstmentioned shaft i within the same vertical plane, and means mounted on and` connectedwithsaid first mentioned shaft for a positive drive of the. second shaft in the oppositedirection. a guard formed as an extension of said housing encasing said brushes and provided with `suitable openings for delivering insulated wire to the place `oi' tangential engagement and for` exhausting the waste, said motor and said housing being `mounted on said base 40 member to form a complete unitarydevice readily portable for immediate use.

2. A portable unitary insulation stripping machine comprising in combination, a basemember, a motor, anoiltight housing, a pair of rotatable brushes adapted to `make `a working point where .they tangentially` zand therebetween engage insulatedwire to strip the zsame,v `a shaft journaled in said housing carrying one of said brushes anddirectly connected to said motor, a second stub shaft` with a floating journalparallel thereto carrying `the other of said brushes and adJustable with respect to said iirstl mentioned shaft within the same vertical plane, and means mounted on and connected with said first men- 5" tioned shaft for` a positive driveof the second shaft inthe opposite direction and `operating within saldhousing, a guard formedasan extension of said housing encasing `said brushes and provided with suitableopenings for feeding 0 the work to the working point and for exhausting the waste, said motor and `said housing lbeing mounted on said base `member to form a complete 

